Dr Joel Davis is a Lecturer in Planetary Science at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE). As a planetary geologist, Joel studies different planetary surface processes, but his major focus is the geology of Mars.
He seeks to understand ancient and modern geological environments on the red planet – to uncover when and how quickly the climate in Mars ‘dried out’, leading it to become ‘hyperarid’. His research also focuses on different arid environments on Earth, how climate change is affecting them, and how these can be used as an analogue for other planets.
Joel is involved in several ongoing and upcoming space missions for NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), including NASA’s Curiosity rover, the HiRISE and CaSSIS instruments – two high-resolution cameras, 400 km above the surface of Mars. He is also a Co-Investigator for the PanCam instrument on the ESA’s upcoming ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission.
In this blog post, Joel tells us more about himself, his research interests and why he decided to join ESE.
Describe your work in a tweet:
I use data from spacecrafts to investigate the geology and surface environment of Mars.
What drove you to your current area of work/research? Why excites you about it and why do you think it’s important?
It’s a bit cliched, but a childhood (and continuing) obsession with Star Wars and Jurassic Park led to an interest in the geosciences and in space. When I saw an opportunity to do a planetary science PhD focussing on the geology of Mars, it seemed like a perfect fit.
The more I work on Mars, the more I appreciate its complex geological history. We know that Mars 3-4 billion years ago was perhaps a bit like the Earth – with rivers, lakes, potentially oceans – but that it dried up over time and we won’t really know why. It’s also a fascinating insight into physical processes – for example, the migration of aeolian dunes – which occur in the absence of biology.
How do you see your research making an impact within and beyond academia?
It’s really fun working with engineers and mission planners from NASA and ESA! As scientists, we are always trying to acquire the most amount of data and images possible, whereas the engineers want to make sure the spacecraft is safe and healthy. Naturally this leads to some trade-offs! They are all immensely talented people and its great to learn a little from them, and help find safe ways to drive the science goals of the mission forward, whilst looking after the spacecraft.
Separately, it’s also really inspiring to see school students take an interest in planetary geology – you show them rover images of sedimentary rocks on Mars and they start to make connections with what they know and have seen on Earth. I hope that we can use planetary science to help garner wider interest and uptake in all the geoscience subjects.
What led you to ESE and Imperial?
I’ve been in London most of my life. After my PhD at UCL, I was a postdoc and research fellow at the Natural History Museum (NHM) next door for almost five years. So I had already worked with ESE colleagues and fellow martians prior to officially joining Imperial. Additionally, I also taught an introductory planetary science module to second year undergraduate students here while I was at the NHM. Imperial also has one of the largest planetary groups in the UK, which means that I regularly get to talk to colleagues about all the exciting missions they are involved with and extra-terrestrial samples they are working on. ESE seemed a perfect fit when the lectureship job came up!
What are you most proud of, in and outside work?
Workwise, I am extremely proud of all the students that I have worked with – particularly my PhD students, seeing them overcome the challenges of learning to do research as well as a global pandemic. Seeing my students present their research to an incredibly professional standard to the Curiosity rover science team is something I won’t forget.
How do you embody the values of ESE (Supportive | Excellence | Integrity | Innovative | Inclusive | Inspiring) in your work?
I try to ensure that I am an approachable and supportive colleague and I really appreciate the culture that ESE is aspiring to create. Often the students are the most insightful and I find it very helpful to listen to their ideas or concerns.
Who do you collaborate with at ESE, Imperial and elsewhere?
I mostly work with the planetary surfaces group here in ESE and I still collaborate closely with my former colleagues at the NHM. Being part of several space missions, I regularly work (mostly remotely) with colleagues from around the world, mostly the U.S. and Europe. Occasionally, I get them to meet them in person – matching faces to voices is often not what I expect!
What specific skills, expertise, or advice are you seeking from your colleagues at ESE?
On the teaching front, I am eager to learn new ways of making lectures engaging and interesting, and how to teach effectively in the field. Research wise, I am keen to learn more about Machine Learning techniques and how we can apply them to planetary science. We have huge volumes of planetary data and ML could really help us use them in a more efficient manner.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
Definitely looking at new images from Curiosity or from HiRISE or CaSSIS! Often we think we know what we are going to see or find, but sometimes it’s a complete surprise and we find something really weird. I’ve had many research projects that have come out of something completely unexpected – for example finding evidence for tectonic-driven sedimentation in the Valles Marineris canyons on Mars. Looking at new data is the main distraction that I constantly have to resist!
What do you do to wind down?
In my spare time, I like hiking, cycling, and running. Being in London makes that a bit of challenge sometimes, but my job often ensures that I am somewhere interesting for these things. I also enjoy reading 19th-20th century history, science fiction/fantasy, and spy thrillers – John le Carre is the best.
What are colleagues least likely to know about you?
I also like to build terrariums.